Usk

River in south Wales, rising in the Black Mountain on the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys; length 137 km/85 mi; catchment area 1,358 sq km/524 sq mi. It flows south through Powys and Monmouthshire, passing through the towns of Abergevenny, Usk, and Caerlon, and enters the Bristol Channel at Newport.

The Usk valley, of which the upper half is in the Brecon Beacons National Park, has fine scenery and good fishing.

Usk

Town in Monmouthshire, south Wales, 10 km/6 mi east of Pontypool and 20 km/12 mi southwest of Monmouth, situated on the River Usk; population (2001) 2,300. It is an agricultural centre for the surrounding region, and there is an agricultural college in the town.

Usk is situated on the site of a Roman settlement and has the remains of a 12th-century castle. The church was originally attached to a 13th-century Benedictine nunnery.

There is salmon fishing on the river. Synthetic fabrics are manufactured on a small scale at Mamhilad 6 km/4 mi to the west.